The bases of soda pop bottles sometimes become nested within one another during shipment or storage and when fed to the assembly equipment that is used for attaching them to the bottle, the nested bases occasionally jam the equipment. To prevent this, projections have been provided on the outside of the bottle base. These projections not only mar the appearance of the otherwise smooth surface but in addition, the upper edge of one bottle base can become stretched over the projections, allowing them to become wedged in place even more strongly than if the projections were not used.
To overcome these deficiencies of the prior art the present invention provides an improved nesting preventer for the base of a bottle which comprises a plurality of fin-like projections that project centrally from the side wall of the bottle bottom. Each includes a downwardly and centrally inclined upper edge that extends from the side wall downwardly at an acute angle. When another bottle bottom or base is inadvertently pushed into the interior of such a base, the upper edge of the projection acts as a deflection ramp which prevents the base on top from entering the one below it. The engagement between the upper edge of the nesting preventer serves as a ramp or skid causing the base that is entering from above to tilt to one side or the other, but it surprisingly will not jam in place. At the same time, however, the bottom of the bottle will fit nicely into the base so that the mounting of the base on the bottom of the bottle is not in any way interfered with.
The invention will be better understood by reference to the figures which illustrate by way of example but a few of the various ways in which the present invention can be accomplished within the scope of the appended claims.